Videocassette storage and display sleeve

ABSTRACT

A sleeve for storing and displaying a videocassette comprises a clear flexible plastic, elongated rectangular one-piece member, formed with an interior storage chamber completely enclosed except for an end opening through which a videocassette is inserted into and removed from the chamber. A chipboard cover having printed indicia thereon identifying a prerecorded program on the videocassette is retained within the chamber and slidably receives the videocassette therein. A pair of juxtaposed, elongated, preferably convex flanges, is formed on a spaced-apart pair of front and rear walls of the sleeve and extend partially across the end opening to retain the videocassette within the chipboard sleeve. Application of pressure by the thumb and finger of a user on spaced sidewalls of the sleeve adjacent to the end opening deforms the juxtaposed flanges to a parallel or concave configuration to enlarge the opening for removing the videocassette from the storage container for use, with the chipboard cover remaining in the storage chamber for subsequent removal at a later date in a nondeformed condition.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of pending patent applicationSer. No. 07/474,944, filed Feb. 5, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The invention relates to containers, and in particular to a sleeve forstoring and displaying a videocassette. More particularly, the inventionrelates to such a sleeve for storing and displaying a videocassette inwhich the videocassette can be quickly and easily slidably inserted intoand removed from the sleeve, and in which a chipboard cover havingprinted indicia thereon identifying a prerecorded program on thevideocassette remains in the sleeve upon removal of the videocassettetherefrom.

2. Background Information

Rentals of videocassettes having prerecorded programs thereon such aspopular movies, exercise routines, etc., continue to increase as thenumber of homes having videocassette recorders/players increases. Asvideocassette rentals and the number of program titles available onvideocassette continue to increase, owners of stores which rent thevideocassettes continue to strive for more efficient ways of storing anddisplaying the videocassettes.

The current practice in most videocassette rental stores is to displaychipboard covers or boxes having printed indicia thereon identifying theprerecorded programs on the videocassettes, on shelves in areas of thestore to which the public has access. Customers then are free to browsethrough the boxes to assist them in choosing which videocassettes torent. After choosing a particular prerecorded program which a customerdesires to view, he/she either takes the empty chipboard box for thatvideocassette from the shelf or some other means of identification suchas a code number tag corresponding to the videocassette, to a storeemployee stationed behind a counter. The employee then retrieves thedesired videocassette from a storage area behind the counter or from aremote room and completes the rental transaction. The customer usuallytakes the rented videocassette home in a usual videocassette storagecontainer of a type which is well-known in the art and which has a lidfor complete closure of the container.

Such a system requires owners of videocassette rental stores to not onlyprovide enough floor space for public display of the information-bearingchipboard or cardboard boxes so that customers can choose theprerecorded programs which they wish rent, but also to provide adequatebehind-the-counter inventory areas for storing the actualvideocassettes. In addition, the public is continually handling thechipboard boxes when browsing through the store to choose thevideocassettes, and eventually the boxes wear out. If the store hasbought only a single copy of a particular videocassette program titleand its box wears out, the only way to replace the box is to buy anadditional copy of the videocassette, which could be a needless increaseof inventory costs, especially for infrequently rented videocassettes.Also, most rental store owners typically resell their videocassettesafter approximately six months of customer use. To help enhance theresale value of the used videocassettes, they are placed in thechipboard boxes in which they were originally shipped from thevideocassette manufacturer to the rental store owner, andshrink-wrapped. However, excessively handled and worn boxes furtherreduces the attractiveness of the already-used videocassettes as aresale item.

The subject invention enables the videocassette rental store owner todisplay the information-bearing chipboard boxes in a protectivetransparent sleeve with or without the actual videocassette therein. Iftheft of the videocassettes is not a concern in a particular store, theowner may desire to place the videocassettes within the sleeve togetherwith its corresponding chipboard box, and display the sleeve on a shelfto which the public has access. A customer then simply would remove thesleeve from the shelf and take the same to an employee at a counter forcompleting the rental transaction. The customer could transport thevideocassette home in the sleeve, or the employee could remove thevideocassette from the sleeve and place the videocassette in a usualcompletely enclosed videocassette storage container for transport to thecustomer's home.

In stores where theft is a problem, the owner may choose merely to placethe sleeve containing only the chipboard box on the public accessshelves. A customer desiring to rent a particular videocassette wouldtake the sleeve and chipboard box to an employee at the counter whowould then complete the rental transaction, either utilizing the sleevefor transport of the videocassette to the customer's home or allowingthe customer to take the videocassette home in a usual lid-typevideocassette storage container. Thus, these alternate systems not onlywould preserve the chipboard boxes, but the former system could alsosignificantly reduce behind-the-counter storage space.

Therefore, the need exists for a videocassette storage and displaysleeve which stores and displays a videocassette and/or itscorresponding chipboard cover having printed indicia thereon identifyinga prerecorded program on the videocassette, and which enables thevideocassette to be quickly and easily inserted into and removed fromthe sleeve while the chipboard cover remains in the sleeve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Objectives of the invention include providing a videocassette storageand display sleeve in which a videocassette can be quickly and easilyinserted into and removed from the sleeve by mere application ofpressure by a thumb and a finger of a user to the sleeve.

Another objective of the invention is to provide such a videocassettestorage and display sleeve in which a chipboard cover having printedindicia thereon identifying a prerecorded program on the videocassetteis retained within the sleeve and slidably receives the videocassettetherein, and remains in the sleeve upon removal of the videocassettetherefrom.

A further objective of the invention is to provide such a videocassettestorage and display sleeve which protects the chipboard cover and/orvideocassette contained therein from excessive handling and resultantwear or damage.

A still further objective of the invention is to provide such avideocassette storage and display sleeve which enables the owner of avideocassette rental store to operate with less space by placing thesleeve containing the chipboard cover and its correspondingvideocassette in public access areas, thereby eliminating the need forbehind-the-counter storage areas.

Still another objective of the invention is to provide such avideocassette storage and display sleeve within which a videocassettecan be transported to a customer's home for viewing.

These objectives and advantages are obtained by the improved sleeve forstoring and displaying a videocassette of the present invention, thegeneral nature of which may be stated as including, a pair of spacedparallel front and rear walls, and a pair of spaced parallel sidewallsforming a generally rectangular-shaped storage chamber, with the wallsbeing formed of a flexible plastic material and at least the front wallbeing transparent; the sleeve having first and second ends, with thefirst end being formed with a generally rectangular-shaped openingthrough which a videocassette can be slidably inserted into and removedfrom the storage chamber, and the second end being formed with stopmeans for generally retaining the videocassette within the storagechamber; and flange means formed integrally with certain of the wallsadjacent to the first end opening and extending partially across theopening for blocking the opening to retain the videocassette in thestorage chamber when the flange means is in a nondeformed firstposition, with the flange means being nondestructively deformablebetween the first position and a deformed second position uponapplication of pressure to the sidewalls adjacent to the first endopening, to remove the flange means from blocking the end openingenabling the videocassette to be removed from the storage chamber, whileretaining the chipboard cover in the outer sleeve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrative of the best modein which applicants have contemplated applying the principles, is setforth in the following description and is shown in the drawings and isparticularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appendedclaims.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the storage and display sleeve of thepresent invention, with portions broken away, showing a chipboard coverand a videocassette contained therein;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the open end of the sleeve in a nondeformedfirst position;

FIG. 3 is an end view similar to FIG. 2, showing the sleeve in adeformed second position subsequent to application of pressure to thesidewalls adjacent to the end opening, to enlarge the size of the endopening enabling the videocassette to be removed from the sleeve;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the storage and display sleeve of theinvention, showing the sleeve in the deformed second position and thevideocassette partially removed therefrom;

FIG. 5 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line5--5 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line6--6 of FIG. 4.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The sleeve for storing and displaying a videocassette of the presentinvention, is indicated generally at 1 and is shown in FIG. 1. Sleeve 1is intended for storing and displaying a usual videocassette 2 of a typewhich is well-known in the art, and/or the chipboard cover or box 3 of atype also well-known in the art and having printed indicia thereonidentifying the prerecorded program contained on the videocassette.Although the preferred embodiment is for a videocassette, the presentinvention could be easily adaptable for use with audio cassettes,compact discs, etc.

Sleeve 1 comprises a pair of spaced parallel front and rear walls 10 and11, respectively, a pair of spaced parallel sidewalls 12 and 13, and anend wall 14 which extends between and is connected to the front wall,rear wall, and sidewalls adjacent to one of the ends of sleeve 1 toclose the end (FIG. 1). Front wall 10, rear wall 11, sidewalls 12 and13, and end wall 14, form a generally rectangular-shaped storage chamber15. The edges of walls 10-13 on the end of sleeve 1 opposite from endwall 14 define a generally rectangular-shaped opening 16 in sleeve 1(FIG. 2), which communicates with storage chamber 15 for slidablyinserting a videocassette into and removing it from the storage chamber.

In accordance with one of the main features of the present invention, apair of opposed, elongated, generally convex-shaped flanges 17 is formedon the edges of front and rear walls 10 and 11 adjacent to end opening16, and extend continuously across the opening between sidewalls 12 and13 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 5). Flanges 17 extend partially across end opening 16for blocking the opening to retain videocassette 2 in storage chamber15.

Sleeve 1 preferably is formed of transparent flexible polypropylene as aone-piece member utilizing either a blow molding or injection moldingprocess. Sleeve 1 also could be extruded in combination with secondaryoperations. Walls 10-14 and flanges 17 preferably have a general uniformthickness within the range of 0.020 and 0.070 inches, with the height ofeach flange 17 at its midpoint of curvature being generally within therange of 1/32 and 1/4 inches. The overall dimensions of sleeve 1 includea length within the range of 7 1/2 and 8 inches, a width within therange of 4 1/4 and 4 5/8 inches, and a height within the range of 1 and1 1/4 inches.

Videocassette storage and display sleeve 1 of the present invention isused in the following manner. Video rental stores normally purchaselarge numbers of videocassettes having prerecorded programs thereon suchas popular movies, exercise routines, etc., from the manufacturer or adistributor thereof. These videocassettes typically then are rented outto the public for a fee. A new videocassette is placed in the rentalcycle for approximately six months, afterwhich it is sold for additionto a customer's home video library and replaced with another newvideocassette. The manufacturer typically packages the videocassettes ina flexible cardboard or chipboard box 3 having identifying indiciathereon, such as photographs and written summaries, for identifying theprerecorded program contained on the videocassette. The closure endflaps on one of the ends of chipboard box 3 are removed at the rentalstore and the chipboard box is placed in storage and display sleeve 1.More specifically, box 3 is located within storage chamber 15 of sleeve1 and conforms to the interior of sleeve walls 10-14 which define thechamber, and is configured to slidably receive videocassette 2 thereinthrough its open end.

When a user desires to insert or remove videocassette 2 into or fromsleeve 1, sidewalls 12 and 13 are squeezed together with a thumb and afinger to non-destructively deform the sleeve, and in particular flanges17 thereof, from a nondeformed first position, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2and 5, to a deformed generally parallel or concave second position asillustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6. This application of pressure tosidewalls 12 and 13 adjacent to end opening 16, removes flanges 17 fromblocking the end opening enabling videocassette 2 to be inserted into orremoved from storage chamber 15 of sleeve 1.

The practical and preferred use of sleeve 1 in a video rental store isas follows. Sleeve 1 containing box 3 and videocassette 2, as shown inFIG. 1, is placed on a shelf in a public access area of the store sothat a customer wishing to rent one or more videocassettes may determinewhat is contained on a videocassette by viewing the information printedon the box through the transparent walls of the sleeve. When thecustomer has determined that he wishes to rent a particularvideocassette, he merely takes the sleeve containing the desiredvideocassette to a counter where an employee will complete the rentaltransaction. Then, the videocassette can be removed from the store andtransported to the customer's home in the sleeve. When the customerdesires to view the videocassette, he merely grasps the sidewalls of thesleeve adjacent to end opening 16 with a thumb and a finger and squeezesthe sidewalls together to enlarge the size of the end opening byremoving flanges 17 from their generally convex non-deformed firstposition (FIGS. 1, 2 and 5) to the generally parallel or concave,non-destructively deformed second position (FIGS. 3, 4 and 6), therebyenabling the videocassette to be removed from storage chamber 15.However, chipboard box 3 is retained within the sleeve due to itsfrictional fit within the sleeve walls.

It can be seen that this system of storing and displaying videocassetteshas several advantages. First, when customers browse through the storein choosing which videocassettes to rent, the sleeve protects the boxand videocassette from wear and damage from constant handling. Moreparticularly, this enables the video store owner to sell the usedvideocassette in its original, fresh-looking chipboard box after thetypical six-month rental life of the videocassette has elapsed since thechipboard box also can be removed for reuse without damage. Moreover,the sleeve enables the videocassette and box to be stored and displayedtogether, thereby eliminating the need for behind-the-counter storageareas for the videocassettes separate from their corresponding chipboardboxes in the display area of the store. Also, the sleeve can be used tosafely transport a rented videocassette to a customer's home.

It is important to note that the inventors have contemplated applying anelectronic source means of a type which is well-known in the art to thesleeve, to be used in combination with electronic detector meanspositioned at the exit area of a video rental store to discourage andprevent shoplifting of the videocassettes. If theft is an extremelyserious problem in a particular store, the cassettes merely can bestored behind the counter in any suitable manner such as in usualvideocassette cases of a type which are well-known in the art, with thesleeve and chipboard box contained therein being displayed in publicaccess areas. This system would still protect the box from wear, butwould not eliminate the need for storage space for the videocassettes.

Again, the main feature of the videocassette storage and display sleeveof the present invention is the construction of sleeve 1 from a clearflexible plastic which enables the sleeve to protectively display thechipboard boxes, but also to be used as an effective storage andtransport device for videocassettes which can be quickly and easilyinserted into and removed from the sleeve.

In summary, the videocassette storage and display sleeve of theinvention enables a videocassette to be quickly and easily inserted intoand removed from the sleeve by mere application of pressure by a thumband a finger of a user to the sleeve. Moreover, a chipboard cover havingprinted indicia thereon identifying a prerecorded program on thevideocassette is retained within the sleeve and slidably receives thevideocassette therein, and remains protected in the sleeve upon removalof the videocassette therefrom. The sleeve protects the chipboard coverand videocassette contained therein from excessive handling andresultant wear or damage. Thus, the owner of a videocassette rentalstore can operate with less space by placing the sleeve containing thechipboard cover and its corresponding videocassette in public accessareas and eliminating behind-the-counter storage areas for thevideocassettes. The sleeve also can be used to transport rentedvideocassettes to a customer's home for viewing.

Accordingly, the improved videocassette storage and display sleeve issimplified, provides an effective, safe, inexpensive, and efficientsleeve which achieves all the enumerated objectives, provides foreliminating difficulties encountered with prior containers, and solvesproblems and obtains new results in the art.

In the foregoing descriptions, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness and understanding; but no unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is by way ofexample, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exactdetails shown or described.

Having now described the features, discoveries and principles of theinvention, the manner in which the improved videocassette storage anddisplay sleeve is constructed and used, the characteristics of theconstruction, and the advantageous, new and useful results obtained; thenew and useful structures, devices, elements, arrangements, parts andcombinations, are set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A sleeve for storing and displaying a cassette including, apair of spaced parallel front and rear walls, and a pair of spacedparallel sidewalls forming a generally rectangular-shaped storagechamber, with said walls being formed of a plastic material and at leastthe front wall being transparent; said sleeve having first and secondends, with the first end being formed with a generallyrectangular-shaped opening through which a cassette can be slidablyremoved from the storage chamber, and the second end being formed withstop means for generally retaining the cassette within said storagechamber; a hollow flexible cover having printed indicia thereon disposedwithin the storage chamber of the sleeve and conforming to the interiorof said sleeve walls defining said chamber and configured to slidablyreceive the cassette therein; and flange means formed integrally with atleast one of the walls adjacent to the first end opening and extendingonly partially across said opening for blocking the opening to retainthe cassette in the storage chamber when the flange means is in a firstposition, with said flange means being manually movable between thefirst position and a second position to unblock the first end openingenabling the cassette to slide from the flexible cover and from thestorage chamber, with the flexible cover remaining behind in the storagechamber.
 2. The sleeve defined in claim 1 in which the flange meansincludes a pair of spaced apart flanges, each of which extends partiallyacross the first end opening.
 3. The sleeve defined in claim 2 in whichthe pair of flanges are non-destructively deformed when in the secondposition.
 4. A sleeve for storing and displaying a cassette including, apair of spaced parallel front and rear walls, and a pair of spacedparallel sidewalls forming a generally rectangular-shaped storagechamber, with said walls being formed of a plastic material and at leastthe front wall being transparent; said sleeve having first and secondends, with the first end being formed with a generallyrectangular-shaped opening through which a cassette can be slidablyremoved from the storage chamber, and the second end being formed withstop means for generally retaining the cassette within said storagechamber; a hollow flexible cover having printed indicia thereon disposedwithin the storage chamber of the sleeve and conforming to the interiorof said sleeve walls defining said chamber and configured to slidablyreceive the cassette therein; and a pair of flanges formed integrallywith one pair of the pairs of spaced walls adjacent to the first endopening and extending partially across said opening for blocking theopening to retain the cassette in the storage chamber by engaging afront edge of the cassette when the flanges are in a first position,with said flanges being manually movable from the first position to asecond position without the use of any tool to remove the flanges fromblocking said end opening enabling the cassette to slide from theflexible cover and from the storage chamber through the first endopening, with the flexible cover remaining behind in the storagechamber.